Football pundit Chris Kamara on losing his voice – and finding himself: ‘I thought the game was up’

The former player and manager was one of the game’s most beloved figures – famous for his joie de vivre and his occasional hilarious gaffes. Then he was struck by a serious neurological condition that nearly ended his career. How did he come back from the brink?

As a TV football commentator, Chris Kamara was a one-off. Sure, he knew a lot about the sport. But that’s not why he was loved. No, he was loved for his smile and great roar of a laugh. He was loved for seeing the funny side of everything – most of all himself. He was loved for his unique Kammy-isms – for example, in one match report describing Tottenham Hotspur as “fighting like beavers”. He was loved for the word he would frequently bellow from grounds where he was reporting back to Jeff Stelling in Sky Sports’s Soccer Saturday studio. “Un-be-lie-va-ble!” or at times, “Un-be-lie-va-ble, Jeff!”

Best of all, he was loved for the things he missed. On one memorable Saturday in April 2010, Kamara was covering a match between Portsmouth and Blackburn. Stelling, then the show’s anchor, said, “We’re off to Fratton Park, where there’s been a red card. But for who, Chris Kamara?” Kamara looked bemused. Most pundits would try to blag it, but not Kammy. “I don’t know, Jeff!” he replied. “Has there? I must’ve missed that – is it a red card?’ He stared down at the pitch, none the wiser.